University of St. Thomas Athletics
Tuesday, March 17
Seattle, Wash.
9:00 p.m. CT
at
Seattle U
Photo by: Richard Carlson/Inertia
Men’s Basketball makes first NCAA postseason appearance in NIT
3/15/2026 8:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas travels to play Seattle U on Tuesday, March 17 at 9 p.m. CT
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas men's basketball makes its first ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance at 9 p.m. CT Tuesday, March 17 as it opens the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) against Seattle U. The Tommies (24-9) and Seattle U (20-13) play for the second time ever during the first round at Redhawk Center in Seattle, Wash.
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SERIES HISTORY | SEATTLE U
St. Thomas and Seattle U's only previous meeting came Nov. 27, 2021, an 81-64 win by the Redhawks during the Tommies' first season of DI play. The game in Seattle saw UST trail by just seven at halftime before Seattle U scored 46 points in the second half to pull away. The Redhawks were a member of the Western Athletic Conference at the time before moving to the West Coast Conference for the first season in 2025-26.
HERE WE COME, NIT
St. Thomas has been selected to compete in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament, marking the program's first appearance in the postseason event during the Division I era. The Tommies earned the bid following a 24-9 campaign that included a second-place finish in the Summit League regular-season standings and a semifinal appearance in the Summit League Championship. Under head coach Johnny Tauer, St. Thomas recorded its fourth consecutive 20-win season and matched the program's Division I single-season record for victories.
20-WIN THREE-PEAT, ONE COACH
The second victory over Oral Roberts on Feb. 7 secured St. Thomas' third straight 20-win season, the only Summit League team to do so since the Tommies joined the league in 2021-22. Among current Summit League programs, it's the fourth instance of three straight 20-win seasons since 2004 and the first time done with the one head coach through all three-plus seasons since Oral Roberts from 2004-08 (Scott Sutton). South Dakota State won at least 20 games from 2017-20 with two different head coaches, while North Dakota State did the same from 2012-16.
Head Coach Johnny Tauer secured his 10th 20-win season leading St. Thomas and the third of the Division I era. His teams have won at least 19 games in 12 of his 14 seasons (not including the 2020-21 COVID season). As a player from 1991-95, Tauer was part of two 20-win Tommie teams and totaled at least 19 wins in three of his four seasons on the team.
With it's 20th win of the 2025-26 season, St. Thomas became one of eight programs to reach the milestone during its first full season of NCAA Division I eligibility. The most recent was San Diego with 30 wins in 2024-25 while only three teams have reached 24 wins during their first full season. Of Summit League teams to transition to DI, only North Dakota State won at least 19 games in its first full season, securing 26 victories during the 2008-09 season.
Among teams to transition to Division I since 2000, St. Thomas is the only program to record four straight 19-win seasons through the final three seasons of its transition and into year one of full eligibility. UST joined Grand Canyon as the only teams to record three straight 20-win seasons through years 3 and 4 of its transition and into the first full season of eligibility into DI.
ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE RECOGNITION
St. Thomas earned four All-Summit League honors, highlighted by Nick Janowski being named Freshman of the Year and joining Nolan Minessale as First Team All-League selections. Janowski becomes the second Tommie to earn Freshman of the Year and led all freshmen while ranking second in the league with 19.1 points per game, adding eight 20-point outings and two 30-point performances in Summit play. Minessale also secured First Team recognition and All-Defensive Team honors after averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game in league action, anchoring the conference's second-ranked scoring defense and posting a league season-high 12 assists in a win over South Dakota.
Carter Bjerke was named Honorable Mention All-League after leading the Summit League with a .530 3-point percentage in conference games, the only player above .500. He set the league's single-game season high with 10 made 3-pointers in a Feb. 1 win over Kansas City, one of 11 30-point efforts in league play this year. Janowski and Minessale mark the first time St. Thomas has placed two players on the First Team, while Minessale joins Drake Dobbs as the program's only All-Defensive Team selections. All awards were voted on based solely on Summit League regular-season games.
AN EARLY EXIT TO THE SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
No. 2 seed St. Thomas saw its Summit League Championship run end in the semifinal round with a narrow 67-66 loss to No. 3 North Dakota in Sioux Falls, S.D. Nolan Minessale led the Tommies with 23 points and nine rebounds while Ben Oosterbaan added 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting. St. Thomas carried a 34-28 halftime lead despite shooting 35 percent from the field, controlling the glass with a 26-14 rebounding advantage and a 12-0 edge on the offensive boards.
North Dakota chipped away in the second half and eventually tied the game at 54-54 with just over seven minutes remaining. The teams traded the lead in the final minutes as Minessale converted a layup and two free throws to put St. Thomas ahead 64-63 before the Fighting Hawks responded. Minessale tied the game again with a late drive, but North Dakota drew a foul with 0.1 seconds remaining and made a decisive free throw to secure the 67-66 victory. Minessale was named to the Summit League All-Tournament Team, averaging 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
ANOTHER SUMMIT LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL VICTORY
No. 2 seed St. Thomas advanced to the Summit League Championship semifinal for the fourth consecutive tournament with an 80-67 win over No. 7 South Dakota State. Ben Oosterbaan led the way with a career-high 23 points while Nolan Minessale added 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Tommies improved to 24-8, tying their Division I-era single-season record for wins. St. Thomas trailed late in the first half but closed on a 9-2 run to take a 39-37 lead into the break.
The Tommies seized control early in the second half, using an 8-0 run sparked by Oosterbaan to build momentum before extending the lead to as many as 14 points. Oosterbaan scored eight straight during the surge while Minessale pushed the advantage to 62-48 midway through the half. South Dakota State cut the deficit to single digits late, but St. Thomas sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 10-for-10 over the final three minutes while holding the Jackrabbits to 38.1 percent shooting.
TRACKING THE MILESTONES
Nolan Minessale's name will be stamped in the program's Division I era record book plenty by the end of the season. In addition to setting the program's records for single-season points (659), assists (144), steals (54), free throws (169) and career free throws (253), he reached 1,000 career points during the Summit League Championship quarterfinal win over SDSU. Minessale joins Parker Bjorklund ('21-24/1,131 points) and Kendall Blue ('22-25/1,013 points) as the only Tommies to top the mark during Division I games.
Ryan Dufault set the program's DI era record for games played with 131, scoring in 117 of those games, to surpass Ben Nau ('21-25). Carter Bjerke set the program's DI career record - surpassing Riley Miller's ('21-23) 188 - with seven Feb. 26 against NDSU, now with 199. Nick Janowski set the single-season rebound record with 168 - previously held by Raheem Anthony ('23-24) with 154.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Through the Summit League Tournament, Janowski and Minessale were 1 of 12 sets of teammates in the country with multiple 30-point games, 1 of 12 sets of teammates with at least 10 20-point games each this season and are 2 of 3 players in the Summit League with multiple 30+ point games. The duo currently rank among the top five in the Summit League in points per game, Minessale is second with 20.0 points per game followed by Janowski in fifth with 16.3 points, while Minessale ranks 22nd in the country in total points followed by Janowski who finished second in the Summit League with 19.1 points per game during conference-only games.
Minessale is third nationally for the most 20-point games with 21 and recorded back-to-back 30-point games, first tying the program's DI era record with 32 points against Weber State on Dec. 7, 2025. Janowski has scored in double figures in 30 games, 20+ points in 11 games and had two 30-point games through the first four games of the Summit League schedule, tying Minessale, Parker Bjorklund and Raheem Anthony with 32 points Jan. 15 at UND for the program's DI era single-game record.
BIG MAN, BIG 3-POINT RECORD
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke set the program's Division I era single-game record with 10 3-pointers Feb. 1 against Kansas City, helping to a 99-64 win. He dropped seven in the first half, setting a career high in 3-point field goals and tying a career high 21 points over the first 20 minutes. Bjerke added three 3-pointers over the first nine minutes of the second half, recording his first career 30-point game, before sitting for the final 11:00 minutes of the game. The 10 3-pointers are tied for the fourth most ever by a Summit League player and it's the fourth instance this season of a DI player reaching 30 points on 3-pointers alone (Nov. 7: Harrison Reed, IUW, 12 3FGM; Nov. 21: Ruben Dominguez, Texas A&M, 10 3FGM; Dec. 2: Braden Appelhans, Drake, 10 3FGM).
Bjerke surpassed the previous DI era record of nine set by Riley Miller against Merrimack during the 2022-23 season and tied the St. Thomas all-time 3-point record set by Curt Kietzer during the 1986-87 season. Bjerke accounted for 10 of the team's 18 3-pointers against UMKC, which is the program's most against a DI opponent (22 twice versus DIII opponents).
AN OFFENSE NEVER SEEN IN THE SUMMIT
For the first time in at least two decades, a Summit League team scored at least 90 points in four straight games. The Tommies' scoring onslaught began Dec. 20 with a 92-78 win over UC Riverside before adding 105 points against North Central, 92 against Denver and 99 against South Dakota. The streak is the first instance in program history and is the third streak of at least three 90+ point games under Johnny Tauer, previously doing so during the 2017-18 season and twice during the 2012-13 seasons. Prior to Coach Tauer taking over in 2011, St. Thomas had just two three-game streaks, coming during the 1993-94 and 1971-72 seasons.
During the streak, the Tommies averaged 97.0 points per game - on 55.4 percent shooting overall and 45.3 percent on 3-pointers - while allowing 77.8. Nolan Minessale averaged 18.8 points per game, followed by Nick Janowski with 17.3, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 13.8 and Carter Bjerke with 12.5. The Tommies combined for six 20-point performances - three from Minessale and a 30-point game from Janowski.
During Summit League games, St. Thomas led the league scoring 85.7 per game. The average is the highest for a Summit League team since South Dakota State (87.1) in 2021-22 and the second highest since 2012-13. The Tommies' 83.2 points per game through the entire season ranks 40th among all of DI.
MR. 300
Johnny Tauer became the third St. Thomas head men's basketball coach to record 300 career victories, joining Steve Fritz (1980-2011) and Tom Feely (1954-1980), following the win at UNC Asheville. Tauer is the fastest of the three to reach the milestone, doing so in 411 games compared to 464 games for Fritz and 480 for Feely. Tauer is now just one of six active coaches among all of NCAA with 300 victories and a .730 winning percentage at one school, and joins Gonzaga's Mark Few as the only two to do so currently at the Division I level. The only two head coaches in the Summit League with 300 career wins are Tauer and Paul Sather of North Dakota.
POSTSEASON ELIGIBLE
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a fully postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play. St. Thomas made its first Summit League postseason appearance in 2022-23 and have gone 5-4 in those games through the semifinal round of the 2025-26 Summit League Championship, including a trip to its first title game last season against eventual champion Omaha. St. Thomas is one of three programs to transition to DI to total at least 24 wins during its first full season of eligibility.
NOTHING BUT NET/KEN POM RANKINGS
St. Thomas enters the NIT 103 in the NET rankings as of March 15, the best among Summit League teams. The Tommies are ahead of Summit League Champions North Dakota State (114), South Dakota State (210) and Denver (241). Nine Power Five programs slot behind St. Thomas from the Big Ten (4), ACC (2), SEC (2) and Big 12 (1). The Redhawks are ranked 122 in the NET Rankings as of March 15.
The Tommies sit ranked 109 in the Ken Pom as of March 15, the highest among Summit League teams. NDSU slots in 113, SDSU at 220 and Denver at 234. St. Thomas is ahead of six Power Five programs including from the Big Ten (3), ACC (2) and Big 12 (1). Seattle U enters the NIT ranked 119 in the Ken Pom Rankings.
FOUR FOR FOUR
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the season earned him two back-to-back Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors on Nov. 18 and 25 before adding two more on Dec. 9 and 16, the first Tommie to earn multiple weekly honors for the program since joining in 2021. He is one of four Summit League athletes to earn the weekly award at least four times in one season since 2022-23. Minessale's four weekly awards are more than the program has brought in through the first four seasons of Summit League play combined. Nick Janowski also earned peak performer of the week honors following a 31-point game Jan. 4, 2026 during a win over Denver to start the league schedule.
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
Nolan Minessale has shown why he was chosen as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year. The sophomore put up eight straight 20-point performances to begin the season, becoming the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer since at least the 2005-06 season and the first player in NCAA DI to do so since at least 2021-22, and recorded back-to-back 30-point games, one of two Tommies of the DI era with multiple 30-point games. Dating back to the 2025 Summit League Championship title game, Minessale scored at least 20 points in nine straight games, the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer. Minessale ranks 22nd in NCAA DI in total points, 23rd in field goals made and 35th in points per game, and set St. Thomas DI era single-game records with 12 assists and 6 steals (later broken by Austin Herro with 7 at North Dakota) during the 99-86 win over South Dakota.
MINESSALE NAMED TO LOU HENSON EARLY SEASON WATCH LIST
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the 2025-26 season has earned him national recognition as part of the 'Early Season Watch List' for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, as announced Thursday by CollegeInsider.com. The award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., the site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
FOCUSED ON EFFICIENCY
St. Thomas' success on the scoreboard can be attributed to the type of shots it's taking, primarily as the best in the country on converting 2-point field goals. The Tommies lead the country shooting 63.6 percent on 2-pointers ahead of Michigan (61.6%), Miami (OH) (61.5%), and Bellarmine and Duke (61.0%). The Tommies' 2-point field goal percentage is on pace to finish as the second highest in Division I since the 1996-97 season (Gonzaga, '20-21).
POLL TOMS
The Purple began the 2025-26 season receiving 78 votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and totaled 203 in the most recent poll to rank No. 17. The Tommies are one of two Summit League programs ranked, joined by North Dakota State at No. 12. St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history in January 2025, debuting at No. 25 and reaching as high as No. 16 this season heading into the Summit League Championships.
THE SUMMIT OF WINS
St. Thomas continues to rank at the top of the Summit League in overall wins over the past four seasons, totaling 87 victories since the start of the 2022-23 season. Following UST is North Dakota State with 79, South Dakota State with 75 and Omaha with 61. In addition, the Tommies also lead the Summit League with 52 home wins over that span, ahead of NDSU and SDSU with 43. The Tommies also hold the most regular season wins among Summit League teams since 2022-23 with 82, followed by NDSU with 74 and SDSU with 71.
KEEPING THE GANG TOGETHER
St. Thomas has had its core of the coaching staff together for the past four seasons in Head Coach Johnny Tauer, Associate Head Coach Mike Maker and Assistant Coaches Cameron Rundles and Kenneth Lowe. Maker oversees the offense while Rundles and Lowe each focus on defense. The Tommies are the only Summit League program to retain the same head coach and top three assistants over each of the past four seasons. The group is responsible for the Summit League's most overall wins since Lowe completed the staff in 2022-23.
A NEW PEAK PERFORMER
Behind his 31-point performance Jan. 4 versus Denver, Nick Janowski was selected as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. He shot 12-of-22, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds against the Pioneers. Janowski scored 19 of his points in the second half and finished as one of five 30-point performances in the league this season. He joins Nolan Minessale as Tommies to earn the weekly honor in 2025-26, with St. Thomas already surpassing its combined total of three weekly award winners from the previous four DI seasons.
THE NATION'S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK CAME TO AN END
NCAA Division I's longest active win streak now resides elsewhere as St. Thomas' 28-game home streak was snapped Jan. 29 during an 81-80 loss to North Dakota. The Tommies' second longest home winning streak in over 50 seasons (32 straight from 2/11/12-2/8/14) began Feb. 8, 2024 (coming off a 74-64 loss to North Dakota) and spanned 721 days between two venues (Schoenecker Arena - 18 wins, Anderson Arena - 10 wins). Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Tommies are 52-5 at home, which ranks eighth among all NCAA Division I programs during that span.
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, St. Thomas' 28-game home winning streak is tied with Samford, Drake and UConn for the sixth longest in NCAA DI during that span. Houston holds the longest streak during that span at 33 games (1/28/23-1/22/25) followed by active 31-game streaks by Duke and Miami (OH).
STACKING 20-POINT SCORERS
For the 11th time this season, St. Thomas featured a pair of 20-point players as Nolan Minessale and Ben Oosterbaan each topped the mark March 6 to open the Summit League Championship over South Dakota State. Nick Janowski and Nolan Minessale each scored at least 20 five times this season, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Minessale have done so twice, Carter Bjerke and Nick Janowski have done so twice, and Bjerke and Minessale topped the mark during the win over UC Riverside. Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, St. Thomas totaled seven games with a pair of 20-point scorers, including two in 2024-25 and five in 2022-23.
BACK TO 24
The Tommies tied their DI single-season record with 24 wins during the Summit League Championship quarterfinal round. It is the seventh season of 15 under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with as many wins and is the 12th with at least 19. The Tommies' 12 wins in Summit League play tied a single season record after totaling nine in each of the previous two seasons.
VALUE THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball, and the first five seasons of DI play are no different. The Tommies finished tied for 13th nationally in turnovers per game (9.5) last season, ninth in 2023-24 (9.2), ranked tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) in 2022-23 and led the category in 2021-22 (243). St. Thomas is one of three teams nationally to record fewer than 10.0 turnovers per game in each of the past four seasons, joining Iowa and Wisconsin.
Through the 2025-26 regular season, St. Thomas turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 24 games and rank 16th in the country in turnovers per game (9.4). The Tommies have posted fewer turnovers than their opponents in 22 of 33 games this season, going 19-3 in those games. St. Thomas gave the ball away a season low four times Feb. 7 against Oral Roberts, matching the lowest total for the program over the past four seasons. The Tommies gave away just four turnovers twice in each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.1 points, including a margin of 15.1 points against DI opponents. Fourteen of the program's 42 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while 11 were decided by fewer than 10 points.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Coming off its first trip to the Summit League Championship game, St. Thomas was voted to finish first in the 2025-26 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Tommies received 17 first-place votes and 501 total points, ahead of last season's league champion Omaha with 13 first-place votes and 495 points. South Dakota State was slotted third with five first-place votes and 450 points followed by North Dakota State with 358 points.
Sophomore Nolan Minessale was voted as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, the first sophomore to earn the honor since Mike Daum of South Dakota State in 2016-17 and the first true sophomore since at least the 2006-07 season. The guard from Brookfield, Wis., started all 34 games and quickly established himself as one of the Summit League's top two-way players. He led the league in blocks per game, ranked sixth in steals, and paced the Tommies with a .562 field goal percentage. Minessale averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring in double figures 16 times with four 20-point outings.
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke was picked to the All-Summit League First Team after emerging as one of the league's top perimeter shooters and a cornerstone of the Tommies' offense. The Plymouth, Minn., native has played in all 67 games of his career, leading St. Thomas in 3-pointers made in each of his first two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league in made 3-pointers, scoring in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep against NCAA Tournament qualifier Wofford.
A CULTURE OF CHAMPIONS
The Tommies' roster carries a winning pedigree: 16 high school state championships between nine athletes and seven runner-up finishes across seven athletes. Newcomer Nick Janowski was a three-time state champion at Pewaukee High School, while teammate and fellow newcomer Luka Momcilovic was part of two of those championships. Newcomers Tommy Humphries Jr., (2022, 2023) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (2023, 2024) both won back-to-back championships at Totino-Grace High School, Kyle Counts won two Oregon state titles at Wilsonville High School while Hayden Tibbits won two Minnesota State titles, including one with Carter Bjerke at Wayzata High School. Ryan Dufault hit the game-winning shot to clinch the 2021 Minnesota state title at Waseca High School while Nolan Minessale led Marquette University to a Wisconsin state title in 2024. That group along with Austin Herro and Adam and Jack Tauer also combined for eight runner-up finishes.
In addition to the athletes' championships, the coaching staff has also combined for five state championships in various sports. Head Coach Johnny Tauer won high school state titles in basketball and baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall, assistant coach Cameron Rundles won a state title in basketball for DeLaSalle, and director of operations Josh Rodenbiker won two state titles in football at Fargo Shanley in North Dakota.
A TRANSITION LIKE NO OTHER
St. Thomas produced one of the most successful transitions to Division I. With the win over Denver in the Summit League Championship semifinal, St. Thomas has the second most wins by a transition team through its first four seasons (73), trailing only Grand Canyon with 81. The Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19-win seasons, became the second team with back-to-back 20-win seasons in years 3 and 4 (Grand Canyon) and the fourth transition team overall with 23 wins in a season since 2000. Among all transition teams since 2000, St. Thomas recorded the largest Ken Pom Ranking and NET Ranking improvements from the end of year one through year four, jumping 181 spots in the KP and 196 in the NET through four seasons.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @tommiesports.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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at Seattle U
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SERIES HISTORY | SEATTLE U
St. Thomas and Seattle U's only previous meeting came Nov. 27, 2021, an 81-64 win by the Redhawks during the Tommies' first season of DI play. The game in Seattle saw UST trail by just seven at halftime before Seattle U scored 46 points in the second half to pull away. The Redhawks were a member of the Western Athletic Conference at the time before moving to the West Coast Conference for the first season in 2025-26.
HERE WE COME, NIT
St. Thomas has been selected to compete in the 2026 National Invitation Tournament, marking the program's first appearance in the postseason event during the Division I era. The Tommies earned the bid following a 24-9 campaign that included a second-place finish in the Summit League regular-season standings and a semifinal appearance in the Summit League Championship. Under head coach Johnny Tauer, St. Thomas recorded its fourth consecutive 20-win season and matched the program's Division I single-season record for victories.
20-WIN THREE-PEAT, ONE COACH
The second victory over Oral Roberts on Feb. 7 secured St. Thomas' third straight 20-win season, the only Summit League team to do so since the Tommies joined the league in 2021-22. Among current Summit League programs, it's the fourth instance of three straight 20-win seasons since 2004 and the first time done with the one head coach through all three-plus seasons since Oral Roberts from 2004-08 (Scott Sutton). South Dakota State won at least 20 games from 2017-20 with two different head coaches, while North Dakota State did the same from 2012-16.
Head Coach Johnny Tauer secured his 10th 20-win season leading St. Thomas and the third of the Division I era. His teams have won at least 19 games in 12 of his 14 seasons (not including the 2020-21 COVID season). As a player from 1991-95, Tauer was part of two 20-win Tommie teams and totaled at least 19 wins in three of his four seasons on the team.
With it's 20th win of the 2025-26 season, St. Thomas became one of eight programs to reach the milestone during its first full season of NCAA Division I eligibility. The most recent was San Diego with 30 wins in 2024-25 while only three teams have reached 24 wins during their first full season. Of Summit League teams to transition to DI, only North Dakota State won at least 19 games in its first full season, securing 26 victories during the 2008-09 season.
Among teams to transition to Division I since 2000, St. Thomas is the only program to record four straight 19-win seasons through the final three seasons of its transition and into year one of full eligibility. UST joined Grand Canyon as the only teams to record three straight 20-win seasons through years 3 and 4 of its transition and into the first full season of eligibility into DI.
ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE RECOGNITION
St. Thomas earned four All-Summit League honors, highlighted by Nick Janowski being named Freshman of the Year and joining Nolan Minessale as First Team All-League selections. Janowski becomes the second Tommie to earn Freshman of the Year and led all freshmen while ranking second in the league with 19.1 points per game, adding eight 20-point outings and two 30-point performances in Summit play. Minessale also secured First Team recognition and All-Defensive Team honors after averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game in league action, anchoring the conference's second-ranked scoring defense and posting a league season-high 12 assists in a win over South Dakota.
Carter Bjerke was named Honorable Mention All-League after leading the Summit League with a .530 3-point percentage in conference games, the only player above .500. He set the league's single-game season high with 10 made 3-pointers in a Feb. 1 win over Kansas City, one of 11 30-point efforts in league play this year. Janowski and Minessale mark the first time St. Thomas has placed two players on the First Team, while Minessale joins Drake Dobbs as the program's only All-Defensive Team selections. All awards were voted on based solely on Summit League regular-season games.
AN EARLY EXIT TO THE SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
No. 2 seed St. Thomas saw its Summit League Championship run end in the semifinal round with a narrow 67-66 loss to No. 3 North Dakota in Sioux Falls, S.D. Nolan Minessale led the Tommies with 23 points and nine rebounds while Ben Oosterbaan added 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting. St. Thomas carried a 34-28 halftime lead despite shooting 35 percent from the field, controlling the glass with a 26-14 rebounding advantage and a 12-0 edge on the offensive boards.
North Dakota chipped away in the second half and eventually tied the game at 54-54 with just over seven minutes remaining. The teams traded the lead in the final minutes as Minessale converted a layup and two free throws to put St. Thomas ahead 64-63 before the Fighting Hawks responded. Minessale tied the game again with a late drive, but North Dakota drew a foul with 0.1 seconds remaining and made a decisive free throw to secure the 67-66 victory. Minessale was named to the Summit League All-Tournament Team, averaging 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
ANOTHER SUMMIT LEAGUE QUARTERFINAL VICTORY
No. 2 seed St. Thomas advanced to the Summit League Championship semifinal for the fourth consecutive tournament with an 80-67 win over No. 7 South Dakota State. Ben Oosterbaan led the way with a career-high 23 points while Nolan Minessale added 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Tommies improved to 24-8, tying their Division I-era single-season record for wins. St. Thomas trailed late in the first half but closed on a 9-2 run to take a 39-37 lead into the break.
The Tommies seized control early in the second half, using an 8-0 run sparked by Oosterbaan to build momentum before extending the lead to as many as 14 points. Oosterbaan scored eight straight during the surge while Minessale pushed the advantage to 62-48 midway through the half. South Dakota State cut the deficit to single digits late, but St. Thomas sealed the win at the free-throw line, going 10-for-10 over the final three minutes while holding the Jackrabbits to 38.1 percent shooting.
TRACKING THE MILESTONES
Nolan Minessale's name will be stamped in the program's Division I era record book plenty by the end of the season. In addition to setting the program's records for single-season points (659), assists (144), steals (54), free throws (169) and career free throws (253), he reached 1,000 career points during the Summit League Championship quarterfinal win over SDSU. Minessale joins Parker Bjorklund ('21-24/1,131 points) and Kendall Blue ('22-25/1,013 points) as the only Tommies to top the mark during Division I games.
Ryan Dufault set the program's DI era record for games played with 131, scoring in 117 of those games, to surpass Ben Nau ('21-25). Carter Bjerke set the program's DI career record - surpassing Riley Miller's ('21-23) 188 - with seven Feb. 26 against NDSU, now with 199. Nick Janowski set the single-season rebound record with 168 - previously held by Raheem Anthony ('23-24) with 154.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Through the Summit League Tournament, Janowski and Minessale were 1 of 12 sets of teammates in the country with multiple 30-point games, 1 of 12 sets of teammates with at least 10 20-point games each this season and are 2 of 3 players in the Summit League with multiple 30+ point games. The duo currently rank among the top five in the Summit League in points per game, Minessale is second with 20.0 points per game followed by Janowski in fifth with 16.3 points, while Minessale ranks 22nd in the country in total points followed by Janowski who finished second in the Summit League with 19.1 points per game during conference-only games.
Minessale is third nationally for the most 20-point games with 21 and recorded back-to-back 30-point games, first tying the program's DI era record with 32 points against Weber State on Dec. 7, 2025. Janowski has scored in double figures in 30 games, 20+ points in 11 games and had two 30-point games through the first four games of the Summit League schedule, tying Minessale, Parker Bjorklund and Raheem Anthony with 32 points Jan. 15 at UND for the program's DI era single-game record.
BIG MAN, BIG 3-POINT RECORD
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke set the program's Division I era single-game record with 10 3-pointers Feb. 1 against Kansas City, helping to a 99-64 win. He dropped seven in the first half, setting a career high in 3-point field goals and tying a career high 21 points over the first 20 minutes. Bjerke added three 3-pointers over the first nine minutes of the second half, recording his first career 30-point game, before sitting for the final 11:00 minutes of the game. The 10 3-pointers are tied for the fourth most ever by a Summit League player and it's the fourth instance this season of a DI player reaching 30 points on 3-pointers alone (Nov. 7: Harrison Reed, IUW, 12 3FGM; Nov. 21: Ruben Dominguez, Texas A&M, 10 3FGM; Dec. 2: Braden Appelhans, Drake, 10 3FGM).
Bjerke surpassed the previous DI era record of nine set by Riley Miller against Merrimack during the 2022-23 season and tied the St. Thomas all-time 3-point record set by Curt Kietzer during the 1986-87 season. Bjerke accounted for 10 of the team's 18 3-pointers against UMKC, which is the program's most against a DI opponent (22 twice versus DIII opponents).
AN OFFENSE NEVER SEEN IN THE SUMMIT
For the first time in at least two decades, a Summit League team scored at least 90 points in four straight games. The Tommies' scoring onslaught began Dec. 20 with a 92-78 win over UC Riverside before adding 105 points against North Central, 92 against Denver and 99 against South Dakota. The streak is the first instance in program history and is the third streak of at least three 90+ point games under Johnny Tauer, previously doing so during the 2017-18 season and twice during the 2012-13 seasons. Prior to Coach Tauer taking over in 2011, St. Thomas had just two three-game streaks, coming during the 1993-94 and 1971-72 seasons.
During the streak, the Tommies averaged 97.0 points per game - on 55.4 percent shooting overall and 45.3 percent on 3-pointers - while allowing 77.8. Nolan Minessale averaged 18.8 points per game, followed by Nick Janowski with 17.3, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 13.8 and Carter Bjerke with 12.5. The Tommies combined for six 20-point performances - three from Minessale and a 30-point game from Janowski.
During Summit League games, St. Thomas led the league scoring 85.7 per game. The average is the highest for a Summit League team since South Dakota State (87.1) in 2021-22 and the second highest since 2012-13. The Tommies' 83.2 points per game through the entire season ranks 40th among all of DI.
MR. 300
Johnny Tauer became the third St. Thomas head men's basketball coach to record 300 career victories, joining Steve Fritz (1980-2011) and Tom Feely (1954-1980), following the win at UNC Asheville. Tauer is the fastest of the three to reach the milestone, doing so in 411 games compared to 464 games for Fritz and 480 for Feely. Tauer is now just one of six active coaches among all of NCAA with 300 victories and a .730 winning percentage at one school, and joins Gonzaga's Mark Few as the only two to do so currently at the Division I level. The only two head coaches in the Summit League with 300 career wins are Tauer and Paul Sather of North Dakota.
POSTSEASON ELIGIBLE
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a fully postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play. St. Thomas made its first Summit League postseason appearance in 2022-23 and have gone 5-4 in those games through the semifinal round of the 2025-26 Summit League Championship, including a trip to its first title game last season against eventual champion Omaha. St. Thomas is one of three programs to transition to DI to total at least 24 wins during its first full season of eligibility.
NOTHING BUT NET/KEN POM RANKINGS
St. Thomas enters the NIT 103 in the NET rankings as of March 15, the best among Summit League teams. The Tommies are ahead of Summit League Champions North Dakota State (114), South Dakota State (210) and Denver (241). Nine Power Five programs slot behind St. Thomas from the Big Ten (4), ACC (2), SEC (2) and Big 12 (1). The Redhawks are ranked 122 in the NET Rankings as of March 15.
The Tommies sit ranked 109 in the Ken Pom as of March 15, the highest among Summit League teams. NDSU slots in 113, SDSU at 220 and Denver at 234. St. Thomas is ahead of six Power Five programs including from the Big Ten (3), ACC (2) and Big 12 (1). Seattle U enters the NIT ranked 119 in the Ken Pom Rankings.
FOUR FOR FOUR
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the season earned him two back-to-back Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors on Nov. 18 and 25 before adding two more on Dec. 9 and 16, the first Tommie to earn multiple weekly honors for the program since joining in 2021. He is one of four Summit League athletes to earn the weekly award at least four times in one season since 2022-23. Minessale's four weekly awards are more than the program has brought in through the first four seasons of Summit League play combined. Nick Janowski also earned peak performer of the week honors following a 31-point game Jan. 4, 2026 during a win over Denver to start the league schedule.
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
Nolan Minessale has shown why he was chosen as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year. The sophomore put up eight straight 20-point performances to begin the season, becoming the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer since at least the 2005-06 season and the first player in NCAA DI to do so since at least 2021-22, and recorded back-to-back 30-point games, one of two Tommies of the DI era with multiple 30-point games. Dating back to the 2025 Summit League Championship title game, Minessale scored at least 20 points in nine straight games, the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer. Minessale ranks 22nd in NCAA DI in total points, 23rd in field goals made and 35th in points per game, and set St. Thomas DI era single-game records with 12 assists and 6 steals (later broken by Austin Herro with 7 at North Dakota) during the 99-86 win over South Dakota.
MINESSALE NAMED TO LOU HENSON EARLY SEASON WATCH LIST
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the 2025-26 season has earned him national recognition as part of the 'Early Season Watch List' for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, as announced Thursday by CollegeInsider.com. The award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., the site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
FOCUSED ON EFFICIENCY
St. Thomas' success on the scoreboard can be attributed to the type of shots it's taking, primarily as the best in the country on converting 2-point field goals. The Tommies lead the country shooting 63.6 percent on 2-pointers ahead of Michigan (61.6%), Miami (OH) (61.5%), and Bellarmine and Duke (61.0%). The Tommies' 2-point field goal percentage is on pace to finish as the second highest in Division I since the 1996-97 season (Gonzaga, '20-21).
POLL TOMS
The Purple began the 2025-26 season receiving 78 votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and totaled 203 in the most recent poll to rank No. 17. The Tommies are one of two Summit League programs ranked, joined by North Dakota State at No. 12. St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history in January 2025, debuting at No. 25 and reaching as high as No. 16 this season heading into the Summit League Championships.
THE SUMMIT OF WINS
St. Thomas continues to rank at the top of the Summit League in overall wins over the past four seasons, totaling 87 victories since the start of the 2022-23 season. Following UST is North Dakota State with 79, South Dakota State with 75 and Omaha with 61. In addition, the Tommies also lead the Summit League with 52 home wins over that span, ahead of NDSU and SDSU with 43. The Tommies also hold the most regular season wins among Summit League teams since 2022-23 with 82, followed by NDSU with 74 and SDSU with 71.
KEEPING THE GANG TOGETHER
St. Thomas has had its core of the coaching staff together for the past four seasons in Head Coach Johnny Tauer, Associate Head Coach Mike Maker and Assistant Coaches Cameron Rundles and Kenneth Lowe. Maker oversees the offense while Rundles and Lowe each focus on defense. The Tommies are the only Summit League program to retain the same head coach and top three assistants over each of the past four seasons. The group is responsible for the Summit League's most overall wins since Lowe completed the staff in 2022-23.
A NEW PEAK PERFORMER
Behind his 31-point performance Jan. 4 versus Denver, Nick Janowski was selected as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. He shot 12-of-22, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds against the Pioneers. Janowski scored 19 of his points in the second half and finished as one of five 30-point performances in the league this season. He joins Nolan Minessale as Tommies to earn the weekly honor in 2025-26, with St. Thomas already surpassing its combined total of three weekly award winners from the previous four DI seasons.
THE NATION'S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK CAME TO AN END
NCAA Division I's longest active win streak now resides elsewhere as St. Thomas' 28-game home streak was snapped Jan. 29 during an 81-80 loss to North Dakota. The Tommies' second longest home winning streak in over 50 seasons (32 straight from 2/11/12-2/8/14) began Feb. 8, 2024 (coming off a 74-64 loss to North Dakota) and spanned 721 days between two venues (Schoenecker Arena - 18 wins, Anderson Arena - 10 wins). Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Tommies are 52-5 at home, which ranks eighth among all NCAA Division I programs during that span.
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, St. Thomas' 28-game home winning streak is tied with Samford, Drake and UConn for the sixth longest in NCAA DI during that span. Houston holds the longest streak during that span at 33 games (1/28/23-1/22/25) followed by active 31-game streaks by Duke and Miami (OH).
STACKING 20-POINT SCORERS
For the 11th time this season, St. Thomas featured a pair of 20-point players as Nolan Minessale and Ben Oosterbaan each topped the mark March 6 to open the Summit League Championship over South Dakota State. Nick Janowski and Nolan Minessale each scored at least 20 five times this season, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Minessale have done so twice, Carter Bjerke and Nick Janowski have done so twice, and Bjerke and Minessale topped the mark during the win over UC Riverside. Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, St. Thomas totaled seven games with a pair of 20-point scorers, including two in 2024-25 and five in 2022-23.
BACK TO 24
The Tommies tied their DI single-season record with 24 wins during the Summit League Championship quarterfinal round. It is the seventh season of 15 under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with as many wins and is the 12th with at least 19. The Tommies' 12 wins in Summit League play tied a single season record after totaling nine in each of the previous two seasons.
VALUE THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball, and the first five seasons of DI play are no different. The Tommies finished tied for 13th nationally in turnovers per game (9.5) last season, ninth in 2023-24 (9.2), ranked tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) in 2022-23 and led the category in 2021-22 (243). St. Thomas is one of three teams nationally to record fewer than 10.0 turnovers per game in each of the past four seasons, joining Iowa and Wisconsin.
Through the 2025-26 regular season, St. Thomas turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 24 games and rank 16th in the country in turnovers per game (9.4). The Tommies have posted fewer turnovers than their opponents in 22 of 33 games this season, going 19-3 in those games. St. Thomas gave the ball away a season low four times Feb. 7 against Oral Roberts, matching the lowest total for the program over the past four seasons. The Tommies gave away just four turnovers twice in each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.1 points, including a margin of 15.1 points against DI opponents. Fourteen of the program's 42 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while 11 were decided by fewer than 10 points.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Coming off its first trip to the Summit League Championship game, St. Thomas was voted to finish first in the 2025-26 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Tommies received 17 first-place votes and 501 total points, ahead of last season's league champion Omaha with 13 first-place votes and 495 points. South Dakota State was slotted third with five first-place votes and 450 points followed by North Dakota State with 358 points.
Sophomore Nolan Minessale was voted as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, the first sophomore to earn the honor since Mike Daum of South Dakota State in 2016-17 and the first true sophomore since at least the 2006-07 season. The guard from Brookfield, Wis., started all 34 games and quickly established himself as one of the Summit League's top two-way players. He led the league in blocks per game, ranked sixth in steals, and paced the Tommies with a .562 field goal percentage. Minessale averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring in double figures 16 times with four 20-point outings.
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke was picked to the All-Summit League First Team after emerging as one of the league's top perimeter shooters and a cornerstone of the Tommies' offense. The Plymouth, Minn., native has played in all 67 games of his career, leading St. Thomas in 3-pointers made in each of his first two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league in made 3-pointers, scoring in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep against NCAA Tournament qualifier Wofford.
A CULTURE OF CHAMPIONS
The Tommies' roster carries a winning pedigree: 16 high school state championships between nine athletes and seven runner-up finishes across seven athletes. Newcomer Nick Janowski was a three-time state champion at Pewaukee High School, while teammate and fellow newcomer Luka Momcilovic was part of two of those championships. Newcomers Tommy Humphries Jr., (2022, 2023) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (2023, 2024) both won back-to-back championships at Totino-Grace High School, Kyle Counts won two Oregon state titles at Wilsonville High School while Hayden Tibbits won two Minnesota State titles, including one with Carter Bjerke at Wayzata High School. Ryan Dufault hit the game-winning shot to clinch the 2021 Minnesota state title at Waseca High School while Nolan Minessale led Marquette University to a Wisconsin state title in 2024. That group along with Austin Herro and Adam and Jack Tauer also combined for eight runner-up finishes.
In addition to the athletes' championships, the coaching staff has also combined for five state championships in various sports. Head Coach Johnny Tauer won high school state titles in basketball and baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall, assistant coach Cameron Rundles won a state title in basketball for DeLaSalle, and director of operations Josh Rodenbiker won two state titles in football at Fargo Shanley in North Dakota.
A TRANSITION LIKE NO OTHER
St. Thomas produced one of the most successful transitions to Division I. With the win over Denver in the Summit League Championship semifinal, St. Thomas has the second most wins by a transition team through its first four seasons (73), trailing only Grand Canyon with 81. The Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19-win seasons, became the second team with back-to-back 20-win seasons in years 3 and 4 (Grand Canyon) and the fourth transition team overall with 23 wins in a season since 2000. Among all transition teams since 2000, St. Thomas recorded the largest Ken Pom Ranking and NET Ranking improvements from the end of year one through year four, jumping 181 spots in the KP and 196 in the NET through four seasons.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @tommiesports.
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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/ Men's BasketballPostgame: Tommie Men's Basketball, Summit League Quarterfinals v SDSU
Friday, March 06
Pre-Summit League Tournament Press Conference: Tommie Men's Basketball
Monday, March 02
Tommie Men's Basketball Intro Video 2025
Wednesday, November 12
Tommie Men's Basketball: Summit League Tournament Cinematic Recap 2025
Thursday, March 20
